Message of His Beatitude Christodoulos, Archbishop of Athens and all Greece

I feel extremely delighted to communicate today with you, beloved brothers and sisters in Christ, who
have gathered in the Holy Monastery of the Transfiguration of the Lord in New Valamo through the eager hos-pitality of His Eminence, Archbishop John of Finland, in order to consti-tute the XVI General Assembly of SYNDESMOS.
The Church of Greece particularly acknowledges and honours the services that SYNDESMOS has offered to the Church for so many years by the cultivation of the unity of the Holy Spirit, the communion in Christ, and the brotherly communication of the Orthodox youth, and considers SYNDESMOS as a dynamic presence and witness in the life of Orthodoxy on earth. Therefore, the Church of Greece gladly participates in the life and activities of SYNDESMOS through many epresentatives of the Orthodox youth from its dioceses, as well as through other youth movements
which are active within our Church.
The fact that by God's blessing, SYNDESMOS convenes its XVI General Assembly this year makes us rejoice and glorify the Holy Trinity for everything that God's Wisdom has accomplished in the Church through SYNDESMOS. It also proves that all those who in the past responsible for the life and witness of SYNDESMOS in the world, were worthy of their great responsibility. The Church of Greece
considers this Assembly to be memorable in the life of SYNDESMOS, and therefore she is represented at it by His Eminence, Metropolitan Ignatios of Demetrias, who conveys this message to you and who, as a former Vice-President of SYNDESMOS, is a person beloved to you. He will also
convey to you the blessing of the Church of Greece for success of SYNDESMOS' work.
Seeking unity in the Church means seeking the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the local Orthodox Churches and in the life of every one of us. To "Serve the Lord in Unity" [Zeph. 3:9], which is the central theme of your Assembly, presupposes the request "come and dwell in us," because it is only the Holy Spirit that calls all of us in unity and upon which the unity of the Church is established. Only by serving the Lord in this unity can we surmount the temptation of antagonism and, instead, to compete in prayers and service, "endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace" [Ephesians 4:3]. In this case, the Lord our God will be with us.
This message is a continuation of a recent letter of the Holy Synod of our Church in which our appreciation for SYNDESMOS' work was ex-pressed. Looking forward to being informed of the fruits of your Assembly, we bestow our parental blessing on all of you, wishing you to be protected by the Grace of the Holy Spirit in your work, for the glory of our Triune God and the Orthodox Church.